The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Control Order (Northern Ireland) 2024

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

This Order is made in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 2(3), 19(e), (f) and (k) and 60(1) of the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 ( S.I. 1981/1115 (N.I. 22) .

The Order makes provision for herd restrictions in Northern Ireland as a disease control measure against Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (“ BVD ”). Article 3 provides that nothing in the Order applies to the movement of bovines to or from a Member State, where the requirements under Article 170(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 apply. Article 4 modifies Part III of Schedule 1 to the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 by including BVD within the defined definition of a disease for the purposes of certain provisions of the Order. Article 6 applies to a herd where one or more bovines have tested positive to BVD. Article 7 applies to a female bovine of breeding age in a herd on which restrictions have been placed in accordance with Article 6 and from which one or more bovines with a positive BVD test result has been removed. Article 8 applies to a herd with one or more bovines in respect of which the keeper of the herd has received a test result which is inconclusive for the presence of the BVD virus. Article 9 applies to herds when the number of bovines, which have not been tested for the BVD virus and that are more than 30 days old, exceed the threshold for application of restrictions. Article 10 imposes restrictions on the movement of individual bovines unless a sample has been taken in accordance with the Schedule to the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Eradication Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 ( S.R. 2016/22 ), as amended by S.R. 2024/225 , and a negative test result for that sample has been obtained from an approved laboratory. Article 11 prohibits the possession, control, sale or supply of a bovine that has been moved in contravention of the Order. Article 12 makes provision about notifications under the Order.

A full regulatory impact assessment has been produced for this Statutory Rule.